The Heisman Trophy or Atrophy

December 12, 2015

I have mixed thoughts on the Heisman award, given to the best college football player every year. The reason I don't give a darn about this crowning is that, more often than not, this honor is handed to an athlete who garnered enough popularity votes and statistical data to claim the prize. Smaller colleges than the typical Division I schools will not have candidates, and teams who give the ball to the same guy 30 times a game doesn't stand a chance. This is why you notice running backs or quarterbacks from big programs typically gather more votes.

Is it no wonder that many of the students who win the Heisman award do not go on to gain the same success in the National Football League? Some of these players perform behind highly recruited and nurtured offensive linemen and play against smaller, less talented squads. In the NFL, the advantages of the size and strength of an offensive line are not as large.

I think that the voting process needs to look at each game the player played in and their effect in the contest. When a student from a powerhouse school plays the under-matched team on their schedule and racks up 200 yards running, how is this weighed? All of this statistical data is up for grabs with the voters and how they will interpret it. If the voters were all educated on the nation's players, there shouldn't be any problem finding which player made the most impact for his team to win every week. Then you look for consistency and, lastly, how his numbers compare with others. And why are mostly running backs rewarded? Sure, they touch the ball more than everybody except the quarterback, but doesn't this make this an award for the highest statistically rated running back from a famous school instead of the best player.

Oh well, similar to the majority of awards in the public entertainment or sporting genre. More often than not, the nominees get scrutinized, and the favorites are chosen for unknown reasons. I don't give the Heisman much thought, but this piqued my interest this year because my local college has a player in the mix. I wanted to see how he would be perceived in the media's eyes. So far, it appears he got a fair shake in his perception but now comes the challenging part. The voters will cast their ballots based on some unknown formula, and the hoopla and confetti will be thrown on some good athlete. After the award, they will speed the rest of their lives living up to the big trophy's persona and its odd reputation.